Sri Lanka Visa for Indians

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You will definitely fall in love with Sri Lanka the first time you land there. This country is the best choice for touring for nature lovers. And even though you may think it’s all about gorgeous beaches, Sri Lanka is also home to rich flora and fauna. There are mountains, tea plantations, train rides, wildlife safaris, hikes, and more to experience in this nation.

So, whether you are looking forward to an adventure trip to Sri Lanka with your family or a honeymoon sojourn with your better half, this country has everything for everyone. Applying for a Sri Lankan visa online is necessary for travelling to Sri Lanka. For Indian citizens, there is Sri Lanka visa on arrival. But for getting that, Indians need to have the Sri Lanka ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) beforehand. Also, the passport validity of an Indian traveller to Sri Lanka should be at least three months from departure.

For every foreign national who is seeking to enter Sri Lanka, an ETA is a must. This is an official approval that lets a foreigner enter Sri Lanka for a short time. The ETA is a short stay Sri Lanka visa that can be obtained from the port of entry in Sri Lanka.

You can apply for a Sri Lankan ETA online as well. And once you get the application in hand, you will not even have to paste it on your passport. When prompted, you can just carry a copy of the same while travelling to Sri Lanka and show it to the airport authorities. Usually, the ETA is sanctioned for 30 days. However, you can even extend it for another 6 months.

There are two different types of Sri Lanka visa on arrival for the Indians. So, depending upon your purpose of visit, you can choose a visa accordingly –

1. Short Stay Visa

With this visa, you can enter Sri Lanka for a short period of time. You can also apply for this visa if you need to visit Sri Lanka to meet your friends or family. Further, this short-stay visa is divided into three categories; Sri Lanka Tourist Visa, Business Visa, and Transit Visa.

For tourists, who need to stay in the country for less than 30 days for touring the places, or for the ones who are travelling to the country to be with their friends or family need to apply for this visa.

The ones who wish to visit Sri Lanka for business purposes need to apply for a Business Visa.

Finally, the ones who need to board a connecting flight from Sri Lanka need to opt for a Transit Visa.

2. Residence Visa

This is the type of Sri Lanka visa that allows a visitor to stay in Sri Lanka for a longer period of time. This visa grants permission to non-Sri Lankans to stay in the country for an extended time frame. This is further divided into 7 categories:

• Student Visa
• Religious Visa
• Employment Visa
• Investor Visa
• Indians registered under Indo-Lanka agreement of 1954
• Family members of a resident of Sri Lanka
• Former Sri Lankan citizens and their dependents

Every Indian traveller who wishes to visit Sri Lanka should get a Sri Lanka visa on arrival. No matter whether if you are going there for a short vacation, for business purpose, or for a full-time job, you will need a valid Sri Lanka visa to enter the country. Even people transiting through Sri Lanka will need a valid transit visa to legally await their connecting flight at the Sri Lanka airport.

Indian citizens should opt for a Sri Lanka visa online or at the airport. However, you need to choose a visa for Sri Lanka according to your purpose of visit. But apart from a valid visa in place, you should also not forget to have a travel insurance policy in place.

Before travelling to Sri Lanka, you must get an ETA for obtaining the visa on arrival. You can obtain the ETA online and it’s a pretty easy procedure. And once you have an ETA in place, you can get the Sri Lanka visa on arrival when you reach the Sri Lankan airport.

A Sri Lankan ETA online application process is simple. You can get it online from the comfort of your home or office. If you wish to apply for a Residence Visa for Sri Lanka, you must apply for a Sri Lankan ETA. Here are the steps that you need to follow to obtain the ETA for your Sri Lankan trip from India –

• Go to the official website of Visa for the Republic of the Union of Sri Lanka
• Click on ‘Apply Now’
• Select your suitable category for application
• Duly fill up the online ETA application form
• Save the acknowledgment
• You will get your ETA for your Sri Lankan trip

All Sri Lanka Visa applicants are required to submit a few important documents during the time of getting the visa on arrival. Here's a list of all the documents that you need to submit to get a visa for your Sri Lanka trip:

• An approved ETA
• Round trip ticket confirmation
• Proof of financial security
• A valid Indian passport with a validity of at least 6 months

The above-mentioned documents are needed for a short stay Sri Lanka visa. However, for resident visa, here are the documents that are compulsory –

The Sri Lanka visa cost is the sum total of the ETA fee and the service fee for the visa on arrival. According to the Tourism Ministry of Sri Lanka, tourists from India and 47 other nations will not have to pay any fee for their tourist visas.

However, the ones who need to travel to Sri Lanka for other purposes will need to pay a certain Sri Lanka visa cost. Here is a list of the visa prices for the Short Stay Sri Lanka visa categories –

Sri Lanka is a country where the medical treatment costs are quite similar to that of India. However, you would still want to keep your pockets safe in case you meet with an accident or fall sick during your stay there. This is where a travel insurance policy comes into play. Such a policy will cover a number of the circumstances beyond medical exigencies as well.

If you’re travelling with your family, then be sure to opt for a family travel insurance plan so that your whole family can be covered against these emergencies on the trip!

For instance, you may miss your flight, lose your luggage in transit, lose your passport, or may fall prey to some other personal liabilities. And in such an adverse incident, your valid traveller insurance can help you with the reimbursement.

At Tata AIG, travellers to Sri Lanka can go through the various insurance plans, compare each one of them, and then choose one that will suit their needs. Also, they can compare the plans online with the help of our travel insurance premium calculator and pick a plan that’s most affordable.

Applicants need to obtain a valid ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) for Sri Lanka by filling up an ETA online application on - www.eta.gov.lk. The online Sri Lanka ETA application process is very simple and straightforward. Once you fill in the form and submit the same, your ETA will be emailed to you within the next 3 business days.

The Sri Lankan government is following strict guidelines to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The government officials in Sri Lanka strictly checking the arrivals of tourists in the country to ensure that the necessary guidelines as imposed by the local authorities and suggested by the WHO are meticulously followed without any negligence. The country has also successfully curbed the spread and managed a high recovery rate in the past. The following measures are taken by the Sri Lankan authorities to restrict the spread of the coronavirus in the country –

Borders are open for international visitors who must have a negative COVID report Tourists staying for more than 10 days will have to get themselves rechecked after 4-5 days Tourists must present a health certificate confirming that they have not contracted the coronavirus

Your application for a Sri Lanka ETA visa can be refused because of the following reasons:

• Submission of inaccurate/incomplete application form
• History of immigration crimes or involvement in criminal activities
• No clear proof of one's plans and purpose from going or returning from Sri Lanka
• Insufficient documentary evidence required to prove one's visa application

Before travelling to Sri Lanka, you must be aware of some key information about this beautiful nation, like:

• Sri Lanka was colonised three times. First, by the Portuguese in 1505. Second, by the Dutch in 1658 and then finally by the British in 1796. Sri Lanka finally gained full independence in 1948.
• Sri Lanka is home to the oldest living tree that is known to be planted by a man. Sri Maha Bodhi tree is in Anuradhapura, which is present there for more than 2000 years. It was grown from a cutting brought from Bodh Gaya, the tree under which Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment.
• Sri Lanka is an island country which is nicknamed as “The Teardrop of India”. It got this name because of its unique teardrop shape.
• Sri Lanka is the largest exporter of tea worldwide.
• Sri Lanka is the first ever country in the whole world to have elected a female prime minister democratically.
• Sri Lanka has a high literacy rate of 92 percent.

Sri Lanka is all about rich culture, pristine natural beauty, and a history that can keep your senses gripped. There are several historic towns in Sri Lanka and beach destinations that you shouldn’t miss when in Sri Lanka. Here are a few more things that you need to explore once you are there –

• Visit the lush green landscapes of Sri Lanka and indulge in the adventure water sports in the beach destinations like Mirissa and Bentota.
• Get into a wellness program in a nature retreat.
• Go whale watching in Mirissa.
• Visit at least one or two of its seven National Parks, including Yala, Wilpattu, Minneriya, Udawalawe, Kaudulla, Pigeon Island, and Horton Plains.